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In a world beset by economic challenges, cultural discord and
environmental deterioration, the English philosopher Sir Ken
Robinson believes he has the solution to man’s most fundamental
problems: Imagination.

An evolved notion of creativity is humanity’s defining trait,
Robinson says, in that it allows us to examine the past as well
as anticipate the future to constantly reinvent our lives. But
many of us have lost touch with an imaginative outlook.

To more fully tap into this part of ourselves, Robinson takes
issue with the state of our educational system -- which he
asserts “employs 21st century technology, but with a 19th century
mindset.” It hasn’t changed much since its inception, he argues,
and tends to marginalize our best gifts.

Robinson spoke at a panel on thought leadership held last month
in New York that also featured former President Bill Clinton and
was sponsored by The Fragrance Foundation.

According to Robinson, there are three ways in which the global
education system needs to change in order to foster the kind of
entrepreneurial thinking that is crucial to the success -- and
survival -- of the world:

1. Its emphasis on conformity. While human life
flourishes on the prospect of diversity, schools often box us
into predetermined curricula that can feel both impractical and
stale. By studying subjects that don’t help us in the grand
scheme of what we’d ultimately like to accomplish, schools act
like machines that prize standardization and efficiency when
people are far more complicated than that, Robinson says.

2. Its emphasis on compliance. Whereas teachers
follow regimens to curb disobedience, real energy comes from
creativity and diversion, he asserts. An emphasis on discipline
can yield harrowing statistics: one-third of high school students
don’t even graduate and 50 percent of adults claim that they are
depressed and unengaged at work, Robinson said.

3. Its emphasis on a linear path. Our
educational system operates under the assumption that everyone
should follow the same path -- from elementary school through to
university -- when, in fact, life is composed organically, moment
by moment, according to Robinson. Some of the most celebrated
business luminaries -- Richard Branson and Steve Jobs among them
-- did not graduate from college.

And innovation is never linear. Kodak, for instance, was seen as
the iPad of its day, Robinson said, but is now bankrupt -- its
cameras more likely to be found in a museum than in common use.
Eventually, the iPad will become a bygone relic, too.

If, as H.G. Wells put it, “civilization is a race between
education and catastrophe,” every day is an opportunity to learn
something new. But in order to triumph, it is crucial to tap into
our innate powers. As Robinson ultimately sees it: “Creativity is
putting imagination to work, and innovation is putting good ideas
into practice.”